Scenes from a Conference

The Manasota Regional Neighborhoods Summit held at MCC at Lakewood Ranch on Sat., April 12, brought representatives from many Sarasota and Manatee County communities together to explore themes having to do with connection -- within and between not only communities, but generations.

Your Lake Sarasota representatives presented some of what we've been doing -- Renee explained Yard of the Month, Laura offered an overview of many efforts, Tom talked about communications through blogging and the newsgroup.

Part of the problem with communal activities today according to Leighninger is that people tend to belong to various kinds of groups, each with its own issues, purposes. Perhaps it's time to think about public deliberation in a more holistic way, he said. He offered four democratic principles that have proven successful in various places of very different sizes, locations, and issues:

Proactive recruitment: find the networks that people use, and connect through people they know.

Use small meetings for learning, and large-group meetings for spreading ideas.

Give people a chance to share experiences and to consider a range of views and options.

Work across different levels - volunteers, organizational changes, policy issues.

What is "deliberation"? Deliberation is an approach to decision-making in which citizens consider relevant facts from multiple points of view, converse with one another to think critically about options before them and enlarge their perspectives, opinions, and understandings.

What is "deliberative democracy"? Deliberative democracy strengthens citizen voices in governance by including people of all races, classes, ages and geographies in deliberations that directly affect public decisions. As a result, citizens influence--and can see the result of their influence on--the policy and resource decisions that impact their daily lives and their future.

Why is this approach becoming more common? At the beginning of the 21st Century, democracy is in the midst of a particularly major shift in its development. All kinds of leaders are realizing that the traditionally distant relationship between citizens and government is inadequate for solving public problems. They are recognizing that the usual formats for decision-making often waste public resources, create unproductive conflict, and fail to tap citizen potential. They are attempting many different civic experiments -- some successful, some not -- to help citizens and governments work together more democratically and more effectively.

Monday, April 10,20177:00 p.m. surplus lands andcommunity treasures - crucial decisions -a town hall examination ​ ​On Monday, April 10, 2017 please join CONA for a town hall examination of our surplus lands policies and zoning processes that are putting lands considered community treasures in danger, perhaps irreversibly. Such crucial decisions require public participation. ​ The current offer to sell public lands adjacent to the Celery Fields for a construction waste processing facility has drawn the focus of adjacent neighborhoods, environmental groups, conservationists, and many concerned individuals. The issues will be examined to determine what should drive decisions about public lands and how policies may be changed to assure protection of our community treasures while making appropriate decisions about development and preservation. ​